1. The Field of the Invention
This invention relates to educational card games and more particularly to that class of device utilized to teach the user thereof multiplication and division tables in the range of two to twelve.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art abounds with educational and recreational mathematical game devices. U.S. Pat. No. 2,769,640 issued on Nov. 6, 1956 to R. B. Elder discloses a card apparatus each of which teach a single multiplication step and the resulting answer therefrom.
U.S. Pat. No. 705,579 issued on July 29, 1902 to J. Gibson discloses a card apparatus having on one side thereof a pair of numbers used in successive addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Other cards are disclosed wherein only addition, substraction and multiplication steps are illustrated as well as the answers resulting therefrom.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,661,392 issued on May 9, 1972 to T. M. Abney illustrates a card game which specifies arithmetical relationships in a manner permitting a new and improved arithmetic game to be played for education and entertainment utilizing a plurality of such cards. Each of the cards are disposed having indicia on one face thereof, such indicia being utilized to illustrate the steps of addition, multiplication, division and subtraction. The cards are divided into four columns of numbers wherein some of the cards specify the specific arithmetical step to be performed.
All of the aforementioned patents suffer the common deficiency of failing to teach the simplified operation of multiplication and division of the rudimentary numbers, limited to twelve, by repeated use of the same number in each of three specified multiplication and divisional steps. The aforementioned patents also fail to provide an incentive for learning the tables so as to more rapidly teach the users thereof the art of accuracy and speed in participating in a competitive game between the user and other users of the apparatus.